By | September 8, 2011
Photo: Aine Carlin
So you think pancakes must be made with eggs, milk and butter? You think that a pancake made without these crucial ingredients is bound to taste bland/rubbery/weird? And you think that a no egg pancake will result in a crumbly, devoid of texture disaster? Furthermore, why on earth would you want to eat an egg-less, milk-less pancake when you’re a. not vegan, b. vehemently opposed to anything remotely healthy and c. you like eggs and milk in my pancakes already – sheesh!
Listen,I feel ya’, I really do. Guess what? I thought them too. I didn’t want a vegan pancake coming anywhere near me at one point in my life and I took Julia Child’s advice a bit too literally when it came to cream and butter. Therefore, I think I am more than qualified to judge a pancake when it lands on my plate.
When sampling any new vegan dish I always ask myself the question – does this taste good for a vegan (insert dish here)? Or, is it just plain good? In this case, I am pleased to say, the answer is a resounding; these pancakes taste just plain good.
Photo: Aine Carlin
Sure, they’re eggless – who cares when you’ve got luscious mashed banana binding everything together and keeping it deliciously moist. Yep, indeed, I have substituted cows milk for plant milk (soy works best but also try almond, oat, or hemp) and you know what? It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference to the flavor. Not one bit.
As for the butter? Well, I used soya butter but nowadays there are a multitude of choices (including sunflower and olive oil) on the market that are remarkably authentic and melt beautifully – just like the real thing except cruelty and cholesterol-free! I’m pretty sure that means you can have an extra helping.
Photo: Aine Carlin
Aine Carlin is a vegan blogger who specializes in vegan recipes. She also has a keen interest in vegan fashion and is currently training to be a stylist where she hopes to promote cruelty free clothing and beauty. You can find more of her vegan recipes and vegan friendly fashion over at www.peasoupeats.com
- 1 cup organic plain flour
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar (or agave nectar/brown rice syrup etc)
- splash of vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup soya milk (or any non dairy milk)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tbsp soya butter
Directions
1. Mash the banana with a fork and set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients and thoroughly stir with a spatula.
3. Combine the soya milk, banana and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and whisk. If it is too dry add a little more milk. You want the batter to be pourable but not too runny. They should easily form their own shape when poured or ladeled into the pan.
4. On a medium heat melt the 'butter' in a frying pan/skillet and then add to the pancake mix. Give it another thorough whisk and then carefully pour into the pan - the size depends on you, my preference is small to medium. When bubbles appear on top it is ready to flip over. Cook for a minute or two on the other side and keep warm in a very low oven or a pancake warmer if you're lucky enough to own one. Repeat.
Serve simply with maple syrup.
